The rising popularity of selfies and social media means the humble
colour picture postcard is no longer the holiday must-have of
yesteryear.

However, Lochmaben's John Glendinning is championing the cause
of his precious slips of card which provide a fascinating snapshot of
the past.

The 62-year-old, who was a fireman in the region for 30 years and a
former janitor at Lochmaben Primary, is the proud owner of albums of
vintage postcards which are each a work of art, providing a slice of
social history frozen in time.

His collection of more than 150 postcards from 1904 to the 1940s
really do open a window on the bygone world, with more than 50 of them
depicting Dumfries and Galloway.

He said: "I absolutely love them. They are fascinating to look
at and I thought Standard readers would like to have a look at some.
They show a different world to today."

John inherited the collection from his mum who was given them when
she worked as a housekeeper in Collin and he says his wife,Morag and
sons Ross and Stuart have also spent endless hours pouring through them.

Many of his collection are from the Golden Age of postcards which,
in terms of Deltiology - the study and collection of postcards - is from
1898 to 1919.

The British fascination for sending picture postcards through the
post to share news and messages from home, or as a souvenir of holidays,
really took off in 1894 when the Post Office allowed them to be sent
with an adhesive stamp through the mail and only an address on the
non-picture side.

Before then, there had been plain postcards from 1870 for public
usage and some illustrated and advertising cards with pre-printed
stamps.

Originally, the postcards had seaside and city views but that was
to change in 1902 when the Post Office consented to allow both address
and message to be written on one side of the card - the divided back
format we still have today. Britain was the first to do this and it
freed up the other side for the picture.

Building on the Boer War and Royal events depicted on the earlier
postcards, they gave rise to local photographers capturing events of the
day across the UK and beyond and then publishing them as picture
postcards.

That is why we see scenes of everything from streets to schools and
churches, sports days to railway stations, cinemas, workplaces and local
dignitaries of the time, along with the development of transport,
industries, national events, world wars and even horrific accidents.

John said: "It is interesting to see some of the subject
matter from my collection and they do feel like they have captured a
moment in time in the 20th century."

CAPTION(S):

Down memory lane John Glendinning from Lochmaben with just a few of
the hundreds of old postcards from the region

Step back in time The Burns Statue before the area surrounding it
had a modern makeover